10 Unique Seasonal Beverage Campaigns

CHICAGO -- Holidays, sports, limited-time flavors and more: Beverage brands are reaching out to consumers in multiple ways this fall and winter in marketing campaigns intended to drive sales.

Here’s a look at 10 campaigns that caught our attention …

1. Miller Lite

MillerCoor’s Miller Lite is embracing kitsch in its latest effort “to recruit new legal-age drinkers into the brand” with a holiday ugly-sweater promotion that extends to festive socks, a knit hat and koozie.

Released in tandem with the return of six-packs of Miller Lite’s original steinie bottles, the new swag plays a role in a national advertising campaign that’s heavy on events and in-store promotions, and also includes social media and TV elements.

Miller Lite produced more than 30,000 of the blue, white and red holiday sweaters and is making them available for $65.95, while koozies cost $4.95 online. The stocking caps and socks can be found only at events.

2. Dos Equis

Heineken USA’s Dos Equis returned as the official beer sponsor of the 2017 College Football Playoffs this fall. Leading the way, the beer brand released its latest ad starring Rob Riggle and the "most interesting man in the world" in a campaign that will award fans with the chance to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. At the end of the season, one fan will be crowned “The Most Interesting Fan of College Football” and win the opportunity to be recognized in the College Football Hall of Fame with a life-sized statue.

3. Hint Water

Flavored-water maker Hint Inc. has partnered with AEG, a leading sports and live entertainment company, in a multiyear deal that makes Hint the official flavored water in 12 clubs, theaters and other music venues operated by AEG Presents, including The Warfield and The Regency in San Francisco; The El Rey Theater, The Fonda Theater, The Roxy Theater and The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles; PlayStation Theater, Rough Trade NYC, Brooklyn Steel, Terminal 5 and Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York; and The Sinclair in Boston.

The partnership will also see AEG and Hint collaborate to create experiences for consumers through local sampling nights, fun promotions and custom drink opportunities, which will feature the brand’s flagship Hint Water, as well as its sparkling product line, Hint Fizz.

4. PepsiCo

PepsiCo is offering a variety of limited-time products to fill consumers’ snack and beverage needs throughout the holiday season. The products aim to deliver “bold and cheerful holiday flavors that will satisfy everyone in the room,” according to the company.

5. Heineken

Heineken beer launched a “Drink OR Drive” campaign to promote responsible decision-making over the holidays. Through Jan. 3, 2018, Heineken is using the Evite digital invitation platform to encourage consumers to decide early on—at the point of RSVP—whether they will be drinking or driving at holiday events and celebrations. As part of the campaign, Evite users in 11 cities will also receive discounted Uber rides from Heineken.

6. Kill Cliff

Kill Cliff has partnered with Tough Mudder Inc. as the official sports drink brand for Tough Mudder and presenting sponsor of the Tough Mudder X Series. As such, Kill Cliff will provide the beverage maker’s clean-label endurance and recovery sports beverages to participants in the 2018 and 2019 U.S. event seasons. Tough Mudder X is the 1-mile race with 10 obstacles and 10 workout zones that tests competitors from across multiple disciplines to determine the fittest and fastest athletes in the world.

The partnership began at this year’s World’s Toughest Mudder at Lake Las Vegas, Nev., which was held Nov. 11-12.

7. Red Stripe

Red Stripe beer, imported from Jamaica by Heineken USA’s Five Points Trading Co., will sponsor a spring-break getaway to the brand’s island home. Red Stripe’s Skip the Winter, Fly Away for Spring Break national sweepstakes program began at retail and on-premise this fall. To promote the program, custom-designed POS materials announcing the national sweepstakes will encourage consumers to enter to win a spring-break trip to Jamaica.

8. BodyArmor

BodyArmor will be the “official sports drink” of mixed-martial-arts organization UFC beginning in 2018. As such, BodyArmor will supply its line of high-end sports hydration products to the UFC Performance Institute’s two BodyArmor Hydration Stations.

In addition to product placement, BodyArmor will also serve as the presenting sponsor of select UFC weigh-in events, along with providing corner branding of stools, towels and buckets inside UFC’s octagon during all U.S.-based events. BodyArmor will also have a presence on UFC.com and live-event programming, as well as being integrated across multiple UFC-based social and digital platforms.

9. Sababa

Sababa water has launched its Mission to End Childhood Hunger campaign, in which the brand will donate a meal to a hungry child for every bottle that's purchased.

Sababa is a socially conscious “one into one” company launched in Las Vegas in 2014. So far, the brand has provided meals to nearly 150,000 kids, the company said.

10. Jack Daniel's

The Jack Daniel Distillery and the Armed Services YMCA began their Operation Ride Home campaign in November, providing financial assistance to active-duty junior-enlisted military and their families to travel from their place of military service to home for the holidays. Since Operation Ride Home began, 2,669 junior-enlisted single service members and those with families—for a total of 5,767 people—have traveled from their bases to homes around the country for the holidays.

The ASYMCA works with the various military commands in specific areas to identify and prioritize junior-enlisted service members and families most in financial need. Plane tickets and prepaid debit cards are given to assist those traveling. Jack Daniel’s has once again donated $100,000 to launch the campaign.

Since 2003 CSP magazine has ranked No. 1 in readership and market share over all other industry publications. C-store marketers have identified CSP as the preferred magazine source for their trade marketing communications. With industry-leading, highly targeted circulation to more than 100,000 subscribers, CSP reaches the key convenience retailing decision-makers fifteen times a year.